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Chantal takes her science communication to the European stage | 13/11/2017

Culham's Chantal Nobs is one of the authors in EUROfusion's 2017 ‘Fusion Writers' edition of its Fusion in Europe magazine.

For the second year running, EUROfusion has handed an issue of its newsletter over to a group of young fusion enthusiasts, most but not all of whom work in the field. Chantal, of the Nuclear Technology Group, has written a piece on neutrons in fusion and how to measure them.

Chantal told us: “I have been involved with many different public engagement events over the last four years. Writing an article for the Fusion in Europe magazine was an opportunity to try something new. It is sent across the world, and posted online, allowing me to reach a wider audience than ever before.

“This process has also been hugely beneficial to my personal development. As I had only started working at Culham in March 2017 it has been a great way to improve my writing skills and become better acquainted with my work and the overall progress of fusion research.”

Chantal is passionate about communicating science and has given many workshops and talks to inspire students and the general public. In 2016 she was a finalist in the Institute of Physics' Early Career Physics Communicator Awards.

She explains why public engagement is so important: “By improving public understanding, challenging misconceptions and addressing the concerns of scientific research we can create a more diverse scientific community, and a wider community that supports our work.”

The magazine includes two other UK contributors: Paul Barron, a PhD student researching fusion reactor materials at the University of Manchester; and Carrie Beadle, who is doing a PhD in plasma turbulence at the Swiss Plasma Center in Lausanne.

Topics of the 16 essays range from the technical (tritium, blankets, wall materials and divertors) to science education projects and whether we actually need fusion energy at all!